2011年7月22日星期五

第六章 佛教傳統中的肉類 5

5. The other common justification for meat eating goes like this. “Monks get what they need by begging and should eat whatever they are given without picking and choosing.” Like quite a few other claims of Theravada, this explanation of the theory bears little resemblance to the reality. The reality is, and I’m probably revealing an insider’s secret here, that monks nearly always get exactly what they want. When the average monk wants something he simply buys it or when one of his supporters asks him what he needs he replies, “I need A, B and C.” The more scrupulous monks will resort to hints, a slightly changed expression or insinuations. Either way, lay people are more than happy to provide monks with all their needs and most of their wants as well, and if a monk wanted a vegetarian diet he would get it without any difficulty at all.